Attractions

Many visitors never bother to visit the museums, preferring to absorb the unique spirit of the city as reflected by its busy streets and at its sidewalk cafes, particularly those along the main street, La Canebière. Known as "can of beer" to World War II GI's, it's the spine and soul of Marseille, but the seediest main street in France. Lined with hotels, shops, and restaurants, the street is filled with sailors of every nation and a wide range of foreigners, especially Algerians, some of whom live in souklike conditions. La Canebière winds down to the Vieux Port, dominated by the massive neoclassical forts of St-Jean and St-Nicholas. The port is filled with fishing craft and yachts and is ringed with seafood restaurants.

Motorists can continue along to the corniche Président-J.-F.-Kennedy, a promenade running for about 5km (3 miles) along the sea. You pass villas and gardens along the way and have a good view of the Mediterranean. To the north, the Port Moderne (also known simply as "La Joliette," or "the gateway to the East") is a man-made labyrinth of nautical engineering. Its construction began in 1844, and a century later, the Germans destroyed it. Today it's one of the Mediterranean's busiest ports.

Exploring the Massif des Calanques

You can visit the Massif des Calanques, a wild and rugged terrain, from either Marseille or Cassis. This craggy coastline lies between the two ports, directly south of Marseille and to the west of Cassis. With its highest peak at 555m (1,850 ft.), the Calanques stretch for some 20km (12 miles) of dazzling limestone whiteness. This is one of France's great natural beauties.

Exactly what is a calanque? The word comes from the Provençal cala, meaning "steep slopes." Nature has cut coastal valleys into solid rock, creating steep inlets. Most of these gorges extend less than a kilometer inland from the Mediterranean. They're similar to fjords, created by glaciers, but these gorges have been created by the raging sea. The needlelike rocks and cliff faces overhanging the sea attract rock climbers and deep-sea divers.

The highlight of the Calanques is Sormiou, with its beach, seafood eateries, and small harbor. Sormiou is separated from another small but enchanting settlement at Morgiou by Cap Morgiou, which offers a panoramic belvedere with splendid views of both the Calanques and the eastern side of the massif. The Morgiou has tiny inlets for swimming.

Panoramic Views

Although the architecture of the Basilique Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, rue Fort-du-Sanctuaire (tel. 04-91-13-40-80), shows France's Gilded Age at its most evocative, visitors come here not so much for the church as for the view -- best appreciated at sunset -- from its terrace. The church is open daily from 7am to 7pm.

Another panoramic view is from Parc du Pharo, a promontory facing the entrance to the Vieux Port. Most people visit this park to escape the urban congestion of Marseille, but if you're in the mood for some history, check out the gray stone facade of the Château du Pharo (tel. 04-91-14-64-95). Built in the 1860s by Napoleon III for his empress, Eugénie (who is reputed not to have liked it and seldom visited), it's owned and maintained by the city of Marseille as a convention center and -- less frequently -- as a concert hall. The building has no regular hours, but if nothing is going on, you can enter the lobby and ask for a quick glance at the Salon des Génies.